Department of Health and Social Care

Dementia: Incontinence

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government what guidance they give to health and care providers to ensure that patients with dementia who need absorbent pads to manage incontinence are able to access (1) the most clinically appropriate products for them, and (2) sufficient quantities of such products to meet their individual clinical needs.

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the cost implications of ensuring that patients with dementia have access to the most clinically appropriate products in sufficient quantities to meet their individual needs.

Lord Markham: No assessment of the cost implications of access to clinically appropriate products for dementia patients has been made. National Health Service commissioners in England are responsible for urinary continence care based on the available evidence and taking into account guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for the commissioning of health services in their local health economy. NHS England’s Excellence in Continence Care guidance brings together evidence-based resources and research for guidance for commissioners, providers, health and social care staff, further indicates that personalised care including personal health budgets can be arranged locally by ICBs to help people manage and pay for their continence care needs.

Corticobasal Degeneration: Research

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government how much money they are directing annually to research the (1) causes, and (2) treatment, for corticobasal degeneration.

Lord Markham: The Department funds research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). While the NIHR have not provided programme funding for studies into corticobasal degeneration over the past five years, the NIHR has supported the delivery of 25 studies relating to corticobasal degeneration via the NIHR infrastructure.

Food

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the trends in the past three years relating to the consumption levels of high fat, salt and sugar foods in the UK, particularly among (1) children and (2) vulnerable populations.

Lord Markham: This assessment has not yet been published. Data on consumption of foods and their contribution to fat, saturated fat, salt and free sugars intakes are collected and reported via the National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS). Data for 2019 to 2023 combined will be published as part of the next NDNS report, expected in Spring 2024. Data will be published by age group, including for children aged 1.5 to 3 years, 4 to 10 years, and 11 to 18 years. Analysis of food consumption by equivalised household income and Index of Multiple Deprivation will also be published.Monitoring data for the government’s voluntary sugar reduction programme showed that, between 2015 and 2020, retailers and manufacturers achieved a -3.5% reduction in sales weighted average SWA sugar content per 100g. Overall sales of sugar from the categories included in the programme increased by 7.1% overall, with the largest increases at a category level seen in chocolate confectionary (+26.9%) and sweet spreads and sauces (+24.5%). In contrast, the total sugar sales from drinks subject to the Soft Drinks Industry Levy (SDIL) decreased by 34.3% between 2015 and 2020.

Primary Health Care: Equality

The Lord Bishop of London: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of any inequality of access to primary care.

Lord Markham: No assessment has been made. NHS England has a statutory responsibility to commission services that meet the needs of all patients and in all parts of the country.The Government wants everyone to be able to access primary care when they need to and reducing inequalities in access to general practice services is a priority for the National Health Service. The Delivery Plan for Recovering Access to Primary Care, states the implementation of a new Modern general practice access model, which will make it easier for everyone to contact their practice and it will make sure arrangements for care happen on the same day. This will ensure we move away from a ‘first come, first served’ approach towards a more equitable one that benefits all patients, regardless of their chosen route of access.

Progressive supranuclear palsy

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government, for each year since 2017, how many people have been diagnosed with progressive supranuclear palsy.

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government what funding is being directed annually to researching the causes and treatment of progressive supranuclear palsy.

Lord Markham: National Congenital Anomaly and Rare Disease Registration Service (NCARDRS) does not hold comprehensive data on progressive supranuclear palsy, therefore this information is not available in the format requested. The Department funds research into rare diseases through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The usual practice of NIHR is not to ring-fence funds for expenditure on particular topics such on the causes and treatment of progressive supranuclear palsy. Research proposals in all areas compete for the funding available.In the past five years the NIHR has funded a study into progressive supranuclear palsy with a total award value of £1,200,000. In the last five years the NIHR has further supported the delivery of over 40 studies relating to progressive supranuclear palsy via the NIHR infrastructure which includes research on potential causes and treatments.

Independent Review of Integrated Care Systems

The Lord Bishop of London: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to The Hewitt Review: an independent review of integrated care systems, published on 4 April, what plans they have to implement the recommendation contained in that review to publish a strategy for the social care workforce.

Lord Markham: Local Government has a key role to play in supporting recruitment and retention in their areas, utilising their oversight of local systems to identify workforce shortages and develop workforce plans. A new duty on the Care Quality Commission (CQC) means that the CQC will now be considering if local authorities understand their current and future workforce needs and if councils are working in partnership with providers to develop, support and promote capable and effective care workforces.In April 2023, the Government published ‘Next Steps to Put People at the Heart of Care’, reiterating our strategy for the social care workforce, and detailing investment of at least £250 million in the adult social care workforce over the next two years.

Patient Choice Schemes

The Lord Bishop of London: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they will take to ensure thatpatients are not digitally excluded from making choices about their care as the Patient Access Plan is rolled out.

Lord Markham: The Government wants to make it easier and quicker for everyone to get the help they need from primary care and reduce digital inequalities when they access care. The Delivery Plan for Recovering Access to Primary Care, published on 9 May 2023, describes the implementation of a new Modern general practice access model, which will make it easier for everyone to contact their practice and it will make sure arrangements for care happen on the same day. This will ensure we move away from a ‘first come, first served’ approach towards a more equitable one that benefits all patients, regardless of their chosen route of access.To combat digital exclusion, the public need to know that the new access model combines the flexible use of telephone, digital and in person access choices for patients. That is why the delivery plan includes a major national communications campaign to explain the evolving nature of primary care how best the public can use the National Health Service. The plan commits £240 million of re-targeted funding for better digital tools and training, which will improve digital access routes, freeing up capacity for those patients who still want or need to contact their practice by telephone or in person.

Department for Business and Trade

Construction: Contracts

Lord Aberdare: To ask His Majesty's Government what progress has been made to move to zero retentions by 2025, as outlined in theBuild UK Roadmap to Zero Retentions, endorsed by the Construction Leadership Council in December 2019.

Lord Aberdare: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking, in partnership with the construction sector, to reform the practice of retentions; and when they expect to announce results.

The Earl of Minto: The Government continues to work with the construction sector, through the Construction Leadership Council (CLC), to tackle the problems caused by the late or non-payment of retentions. The CLC is currently taking forward work on a project to reduce the need for retentions through reducing defects and has agreed to reduce the default rate of retentions to zero in NEC construction contracts. The Government has also consulted on whether reporting on retentions should be included within the payment performance Reporting on Payment Practices and Performance Regulations and will respond to this as soon as possible.

Construction: Contracts

Lord Aberdare: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are committed to pursuing targets of a 33 per cent reduction in both the initial cost of construction and the whole life cost of built assets, and a50 per cent reduction in the overall time from inception to completion for new build and refurbished assets, as proposed in the Construction 2025 report published on 2 July 2013; and if so, what progress has been made in pursuing these targets and when they expect them to be met.

The Earl of Minto: The targets set in the Construction 2025 Strategy played an important role in guiding construction policy, including for the Transforming Construction Challenge innovation programme (2018-22), in which the construction sector and Government jointly invested £420m. The outputs of the Challenge demonstrated that it is possible to meet and exceed the targets set in Construction 2025. As set out in the Transforming Infrastructure Performance Roadmap to 2030 and the Construction Playbook, Government policy is now to use digital and offsite manufacturing technologies to accelerate the construction of buildings, improve quality and safety, and to support the transition to net zero carbon.

Carillion: Insolvency

Lord Aberdare: To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect the final accounts for Carillion plc to be published by the Official Receiver following its liquidation in 2018.

The Earl of Minto: The Official Receiver has issued three reports to the creditors of the Carillion group liquidations. The final receipts and payments account for Carillion plc is expected to be issued on completion of the liquidation work, which is ongoing at this time, and upon the Official Receiver applying to the Secretary of State for his release as liquidator.

Government Departments: Construction

Lord Aberdare: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to trial insurance-backed alliancing for Government construction projects in the light of the successes achieved by the use of this method of construction procurement in reducing construction project costs.

The Earl of Minto: The Government is aware that there have been some projects on which Insurance Backed Alliancing has been successfully used and continues to monitor the use of this in the UK. The policy of the Government remains that construction clients can choose to use Insurance Backed Alliancing if the project is suitable, and this is agreed with the supply chain. The Government has no current plans to trial this mechanism more widely.

Small Businesses: Trade Promotion

Viscount Waverley: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of their potential for doing more than is currently being done to support SMEs in promoting goods and services overseas.

Lord Offord of Garvel: The Government’s Export Strategy, ‘Made in the UK, Sold to the World’, focuses on the challenges UK small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) face when exporting and sets out a 12-point plan which targets barriers to trade and helps SMEs at every stage of their export journey. This Department supports companies through its network of domestic and overseas trade advisers, Export Support Service, Export Academy, and International Markets network.But we are also doing more – maximising uptake of new Free Trade Agreements by SMEs, using data to better target our services and working across Government to reduce barriers to exporting and simplify border processes.

Small Businesses: Exports

Viscount Waverley: To ask His Majesty's Government what feedback they have received from SMEsaboutexport support provided byHis Majesty's Government.

Lord Offord of Garvel: This Department remains committed to the continuous improvement of our support services to exporters. The ESS Service Delivery Centre received 13,600 export enquiries, 93% from small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) (up to end of March 2023), and regularly reviews feedback from exporters to ensure the continuous improvement of the service.Feedback from SMEs on our services was central to the transformation of the Export Support Service, for example the National Survey of Registered Businesses gathers feedback on businesses’ awareness, usage and needs from export services, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/dit-national-survey-of-registered-businesses-exporting-behaviours-attitudes-and-needs-2021.This Department will continue to listen and consult small businesses on their experience to improve our services.

Small Businesses: Trade Promotion

Viscount Waverley: To ask His Majesty's Government what support is being requested from SMEs from His Majesty's Government for promoting goods and services overseas.

Lord Offord of Garvel: The UK’s 5.4 million small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are at the centre of our ambition to reach £1 trillion in exports annually by 2030. The Government’s Export Strategy, ‘Made in the UK, Sold to the World’, focuses on helping SMEs at every stage of their export journey. The Export Strategy’s development and implementation has been informed by extensive engagement with SMEs to understand the challenges they face when exporting and how the Government can provide support. This Department continues to support SMEs through its network of domestic and overseas trade advisers, sector specialists, the Export Support Service, Export Academy, and International Markets network.

Department for Work and Pensions

Department for Work and Pensions: Complaints

Baroness Browning: To ask His Majesty's Government how many times the Department for Work and Pension's Serious Case Panel has met since its establishment in March 2020.

Viscount Younger of Leckie: The Serious Case Panel has convened, since March 2020, on 13 occasions with the 14th Panel due to meet on 20/6/23. The minutes are available on GOV.UK: DWP Serious Case Panel - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Social Security Benefits: Suicide

Baroness Browning: To ask His Majesty's Government how manyreviews the Serious Case Panel has conducted into the death by suicide of benefits claimants since its establishment.

Viscount Younger of Leckie: The Serious Case Panel does not discuss individual cases, but the panel considers specific themes that emerge from internal process reviews (IPRs). The IPR process is how the DWP investigates individual cases to document the learning. Whilst several themes will have been drawn from serious cases where suicide featured in some of the customer journeys, the specific cases would not be discussed during the meeting.

Home Office

Frontier Workers: Work Permits

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessmentthey have made of the impact of the eligibility criteria of the Frontier Worker Permit on shipping crew availability for UK vessels in (1) 2023, (2) 2024, and (3) 2025.

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the eligibility criteria of the Frontier Worker Permit on shipping crew availability for UK supply chains and goods availability in (1) 2023, (2) 2024, (3) 2025 (4) 2026.

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made of the options for an extension to or replacement of the Frontier Worker Permit for 2026 and beyond.

Lord Murray of Blidworth: The Frontier Worker permit scheme implements our obligations under the Citizens’ Rights Agreements to protect the rights of EU, EEA and Swiss citizens who were frontier working in the UK (that is employed or self-employed in the UK but residing elsewhere) before the end of the transition period on 31 December 2020, for as long as they continue to be frontier workers.We do not publish data on Frontier Worker permits by occupation, and so data is not available on Frontier Worker permits issued to shipping crew.Those coming to the UK to work after the end of the transition period are not protected by the Citizens’ Rights Agreements and are therefore required to apply under the points-based immigration system. This enables migrants to come to the UK to work in the shipping and wider offshore sectors, subject to meeting the skills and salary thresholds and other requirements.There are specific arrangements for transiting crew who are joining ships in the UK or taking temporary shore leave. In many cases, crew can exceptionally enter the UK without an entry clearance and undertake limited forms of work.

Julian Assange

Lord Singh of Wimbledon: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the implications for the UK's commitment to human rights of their support for the extradition of Julian Assange to the United States, to face a prison term potentially in excess of 50 years.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: This specific case is subject to ongoing court proceedings, so we are unable to comment further.Further information on the UK’s extradition processes can be found on www.gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/extradition-processes-and-review

Treasury

Children: Disability

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support disabled children going without electricity or heating due to their families being impacted by the increased cost of living.

Baroness Penn: The Government provides support to disabled children primarily through Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for children. This benefit provides significant financial support to cover extra costs incurred as a result of a disability and was uprated in line with inflation in April. Some family members who provide care to a disabled child may also be eligible for Carer’s Allowance (CA) if they meet the eligibility criteria. This is worth £76.75 per week. The Government has also provided specific, targeted cost of living support to those in receipt of disability benefits like DLA through the Disability Cost of Living Payments. The Government will begin to deliver the second Disability Cost of Living Payment of £150 from June 20th. This is in addition to the previous Disability Cost of Living Payment, also worth £150, delivered from September 2022. These Disability Cost of Living Payments can be received alongside the Cost of Living Payments for recipients of means-tested benefits (such as households on Universal Credit), namely the £650 payment announced in May 2022 and the £900 payment announced at Autumn Statement 2022. The Government is providing further support with the cost of essentials through a further one-year extension to the Household Support Fund in England, with additional £1bn funding (including Barnett funding for the devolved administrations). The fund will continue to enable Local Authorities to support vulnerable households, such as through supermarket vouchers and cash grants. Local Authorities can use this fund to provide support for disabled residents.

Department for Transport

Railways: WiFi

Baroness Randerson: To ask His Majesty's Government with reference to business plan commitments and service agreements incorporated in franchise agreements withvarious train operating companies which include the provision of onboard Wi-Fi provision, what legal options are available to remove free Wi-Fi services for customers.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Department has written to its operators asking for information on the commercial case for passenger Wi-Fi on trains. The Department will consider the initial responses from train operators, including any further implications, in due course.

Railways: WiFi

Baroness Randerson: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by the Minister of State for Transport on 25 May (186185),what options they are considering regarding the benefits of free Wi-Fi provision; and when they will report on their conclusions.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Department will consider its options as regards passenger Wi-Fi on trains following receipt of initial responses from operators in due course.

Large Goods Vehicles: Charging Points

Viscount Waverley: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made ofthe proportion of public chargepoints (1) in operation, and (2) planned, that are suitable for commercial vehicles including HGVs.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Information on UK’s publicly available charging devices is published quarterly. The most recent release from April 2023 can be found on the government website. Vehicles such as vans can use these charge points. As committed to in Future of Freight: a long term plan, which was published in June 2022, the Department is developing a zero emission heavy goods vehicle (HGV) infrastructure strategy for publication in early 2024. This will set strategic direction and outline the respective roles and responsibilities of both government and industry to ensure the delivery of the refuelling and recharging infrastructure required to meet the end of sale dates for new non-zero emission HGVs.

Shipping: Frontier Workers

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government whatcontingency planningthey haveundertaken to manage any disruption to the availability of goods resulting from a lack of shipping crew eligible for the Frontier Worker Permit.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Department for Transport has not undertaken contingency planning regarding a lack of seafarers being eligible for the Frontier Work Permits causing disruption of availability of goods to / from Northern Ireland. These policies are held by the Department for Business and Trade and the Home Office respectively.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

Logistics: Electric Vehicles

Viscount Waverley: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made ofthe additional electricity generation that will be required by (1) 2030, (2) 2040, and (3) 2050, to enable the introduction of sufficient electric logistics vehicles to meet the target of net zero by 2050.

Lord Callanan: The EV Smart Action Plan published earlier this year, estimated that the electrification of cars, vans and HGVs could add 50 – 70 TWh by 2035 and 90 – 140 TWh by 2050 to electricity generation. The Department has not estimated the additional electricity generation or network capacity required specifically from electric logistics vehicles.

Wales Office

Welsh National Opera

Lord Murphy of Torfaen: To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Secretary of State for Wales will meet with the Secretary of State for the Department of Culture, Media and Sport to discuss reductions to the budget of the Welsh National Opera resulting from decisions made by Arts Council England.

Lord Davies of Gower: In November 2023, Arts Council England (ACE) announced the outcome of its 2023-2026 Investment Programme. This will support 985 organisations, including the Welsh National Opera’s (WNO) activities in England. The decisions made by ACE about the allocation of funding for this Investment Programme were taken at arm’s length from the Government. This is in accordance with the well-established process, which is published on ACE’s website and made clear in the guidance for applicants. As such, central government does not review individual decisions. The WNO will still receive £4 million per year during the 2023-2026 Investment Programme. They are also receiving a one-off investment of £3.25 million as part of ACE’s Transform Programme.

Ministry of Justice

Prisons: Education

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask His Majesty's Government what was the budget for education purposes provided to each prison during the last year for which figures are available.

Lord Bellamy: The attached table shows the annual education budget for each public sector prison in England and Wales in 2022-23. The total includes core education provider funding, library provision, the Dynamic Purchasing System budget (which the Governor can use flexibly to fund provision to meet particular local needs), and the information advice and guidance budget. The figures do not include other sources of funding that can be separately bid for, such as the Employment Innovation Fund.Education budget totals for the following privately-managed prisons are also included in the table: HMP Doncaster, HMP Northumberland, HMP Oakwood, and HMP Thameside. The education budgets for these establishments form part of the Authority Education Framework Contract and can therefore be disaggregated from the overall funding total. It is not possible to disaggregate education provision for the remaining privately-managed prisons.HL8362_table (docx, 30.9KB)

Legal Aid Scheme: Immigration

Lord Bach: To ask His Majesty's Government, in the past year, what proportion of immigration legal aid providers have (1) opened no new legal aid cases, and (2) opened no more than 30 new legal aid cases.

Lord Bellamy: Between April 2022 and March 2023, 7% (11) of immigration legal aid providers opened no new cases and 15% (23) opened no more than 30 new cases.In total there are 152 legal aid providers who hold a contract to provide immigration and asylum legal aid service. The above data reflects active immigration work reported between April 2022 and March 2023, inclusive.The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) delivers services for immigration legal aid by Procurement Area and Access Point geographical area. These are procured and delivered at office level. A provider could therefore have opened over 30 new cases, spread across several office locations with varied levels of active immigration casework. There are no Procurement Areas in which no new immigration legal aid cases have been opened.The LAA frequently reviews market capacity to make sure there is adequate provision of legal aid, in all categories of law, throughout England and Wales. The LAA moves quickly, where issues arise, to secure provision and to ensure demand for legal aid services is met across the country. Legal advice on a range of civil matters including housing, debt, discrimination, and education is available, wherever people are, through the Civil Legal Advice telephone service.

Cabinet Office

Import Controls: Northern Ireland

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government what contingency planning has been undertaken to manage any disruption to imports to the UK resulting from any potential problems with the implementation of the Border Target Operating Model.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The government published the draft Border Target Operating Model in April. This sets out plans to phase in security and biosecurity controls from 31 October in a way which implements critical protections at the UK border, while ensuring these new controls are as simple as possible for businesses to comply with. We developed the draft document alongside the Scottish and Welsh Governments and officials from the Northern Ireland Executive, and continue to work collaboratively to design and be able to implement a model for the whole of the UK. We are also working closely with businesses to get this right. During the engagement period on the draft model we have spoken to UK and international businesses and their supply chains to help them understand the new requirements and gather their views on them. We have listened closely to the feedback we received from stakeholders and are carefully considering what more we can do to support business readiness for the introduction of new controls before the final TOM is published later this summer. We have also been working through our embassies across the EU to ensure readiness in Member States. The final version of the model we publish will respond to the feedback we have had and will set out further detail to support supply chain readiness. While businesses will need to prepare for new requirements, we will continue to take a pragmatic approach to the introduction of border controls to ensure trade is not disrupted.